Karl Strauss Brewing Co: Parrot in a Palm Tree

Karl Strauss truly amazes me. While they have been around for twenty-some-odd years, they have mostly brewed those "safe" beers that have given them the reputation of somewhat of a sissy brewery. I mean, come on, they sell their beer at Disney's California Adventure. However (this is a huge however), within the past couple of years they have been flexing their muscles when it comes to brewing. Their anniversary beer this year with the zinfandel grape juice was definitely a fun beer; especially when drunk on tap. Their recent double IPA efforts have wound up successful in my opinion, and this leads me to tonight.

After getting a drink with my friends from Chapman, I stopped in at Total Wine to explore their seasonal beer section. I came across this beer from Karl Strauss and thought, "What the hell? Let's do it." It was purchased, refrigerated for a sufficient amount of time, and now it is ready for consumption.

The beer pours rather dark, but has some red translucence when held to light. It seems to be highly carbonated at first and presents a fairly dark khaki head. As the carbonation subsides, so does the head. It leaves almost nothing on top of the beer or on the insides of the glass.

The beer is aged in Port wine barrels, and I expected to get that on the nose. Unfortunately, I do not smell Port but I do get a lot of roastiness and chocolate. Actually, it is more of a cocoa powder smell as opposed to a milk chocolate candy smell. Anyways, it smells like it shall be a delicious porter. Upon tasting, WOW. Immediately I get the Port, and I am extremely pleased with how it balances out. After the Port flavors, I get some sweet woodiness (some caramel and toffee flavors) and then it finishes slightly dry with espresso notes and that dry chocolate I smelled. However, it is not too dry. It is fairly medium-bodied and very smooth. Of course, the 8.5% ABV shows up in the aftertaste, but I do not have any complaints.

This is exactly what I am talking about when I mention Karl Strauss flexing their muscles! I am really enjoying this beer. Since it only cost me $4.99, I will definitely experiment with aging a couple of these guys too. The bottle says it ages well, so I will do it. Karl Strauss, keep making beers like this and I will defend you and your brewers with my life. I guarantee you the people that condescendingly jabber about you have never tasted things like this from you. Let's share and educate on the abilities of Karl Strauss.

Stone Brewing Co: LUKCY 13ASARTD

For the sake of coherency, I will be referring to this brew as Lucky Bastard from now on. The Lucky Bastard Ale is a blend of Stone's Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Double Bastard. After working all morning to get the place cleaned up, I decided that I would review this new addition to the Stone catalog of beers brewed. I purchased it yesterday and was going to review it then, but decided against it last night. That only leaves today. I just popped the beer open and poured it...

The color is a deep red when held directly in front of light. By just looking at it, it is amber in color with red hints in tone and a nice khaki head. The head diminishes somewhat quickly; as it does so, however, it leaves a nice retention around the glass. It smells so amazingly delicious as well. As is almost expected with Stone, lots of hoppiness on the nose along with some citrus notes. I was also struck by the vanilla that comes off the nose as well, but mostly it smells of Stone's favorite ingredients: hops. Time to taste...

Again, having had all three "Bastard" ales, this one is similar but not too similar. It tastes amazing. I get the oak almost immediately, which gives way to the citrus notes. It then gets sweet as it hits the back of the tongue with flavors such as toffee, caramel, and vanilla. Then the finish is just what I expect from Stone beers. The finish is a nice, bitter, dry, hoppy finish that leaves you desiring another sip of this brew without much delay. So good. So damn good. I do not think there has been one Stone beer that I have not liked. Some are better than others, obviously in my opinion, but this one is definitely up there. This bad boy ranks in at 8.5% ABV and is definitely a wonderful testament to the "Bastard" series. As it says on the bottle: "A slef trbitue to 13 yaers of arorgnace." I am sure that is easily translatable to all (Stone's gimmick with this beer is that they are going off of that logic that the human brain can interpret and understand what a word is as long as the first and last letter are in the right place, while all the other letters are mixed up).

This is an amazing beer, and definitely worth buying a couple more of to experiment aging with. Will it age? The Double Bastard ages well with the rest of 'em, and Dogfish Head's Burton Baton ages well also! I'm going to experiment and try it out. Let's do this. There is no way of knowing until I pop it open in 2012.

The Lost Abbey: Avant Garde Ale

I recently read an article online about how well this beer would pair with a Thanksgiving dinner. Considering it is about that time of year, I decided to purchase one and keep it until I was ready to effectively analyze and review the ale. Tonight is my night.

I pop open the cork and let the ale breathe for about a minute. I then poor it into my Allagash goblet (I'm currently attempting to acquire the epic Lost Abbey goblet). The beer has a nice off-white head that sits nicely on top of the brew, and on a night like tonight, looks even more appetizing than ever. The color is nice and golden with a slight, and I mean slight, amber glow when held up to light. On the nose, I get lots of citrusy spice, malts, and even a bit of apple. The bottle describes this as a "Farmhouse Style Ale," so I'm actually not expecting anything to pop out and surprise me in terms of scent and flavor...

Farmhouse ales tend to be medium-bodied and meant for consumption during the summer months. Picture yourself on a farm, sitting on your front porch, strumming your guitar/banjo and watching the day go by as you consume numerous farmhouse ales in the process. It should be easy-drinking and something comfortable for the summer months. Granted, they do not need to be consumed in the summer but the image works better that way. Regardless of images, let's move to something more real: the flavor of the beer itself.

In terms of the flavors present within this beer, I was immediately struck by the alcohol when I first started swishing it around my tongue. This quickly decreased and then I found the beer to be rather full of flavors of grain and wheat. Then the citrus notes kicked in and it became somewhat fruity. This quickly subsided to make room for a slightly bitter and hoppy finish. The ale ranks in at 7% ABV and is quite delicious. Is there anything undeniably epic about this beer? Absolutely not. Yet, this is definitely a delicious farmhouse style ale and I would love to buy more next time summer comes around. Two of these mid-afternoon would sit fancy with me.

Now reverting back to the anecdote that began this review, I am posed with the question: "Would this beer pair well with Thanksgiving dinner?" In my opinion, it would. However, I would venture to say that this is more of an Easter beer. I think this would pair better with a ham over turkey, but it really doesn't matter I suppose. This is a great beer and a style that you do not always come across. I will most likely keep it on my radar for a hot day when all I want to do is relax with a brew. Lost Abbey, you have done it again. Patron sinner reporting for duty.

Tripel Karmeliet

Upon exiting work this afternoon, I decided a couple of things. First, I wanted a new goblet for beer consumption and I wanted to review another beer. I decided once I was in my favorite shop that I would purchase a goblet matching the beer I was going to review. All was a success, and have led me to this point in my day.

I've always wanted that glass, and now I have it. Anyways, I popped the cork on this Belgian Tripel and poured. I was nervous about the green bottle, and sadly my fears were true. Skunky smell. Unfortunately, I know a skunky beer when I smell one and it overpowered the fragrance of the ale. As a result of this, I let the bottle and the amount I poured in my glass air out in hopes that some of the skunky smell would go away. Again, sadly, I was disappointed and it remained. Oh well, there are other fragrances on the nose besides the funk. There is still a sweetness on the nose. Extreme fruitiness with some pear, granny-smith apples, and even some banana. Sweet malts mix with the fruit to make a pretty decent smell through the skunk already mentioned. The beer pours a light golden color with a snow-white head that remains on top of the beer for quite some time.

Upon tasting the beer, I still get skunky. This is highly disappointing because I really want to like this beer. I know for a fact it also comes in smaller brown bottles, so I will explore those at a different time. However, I also get a really sweet, almost sour (delicious) flavor out of it. It is almost like biting into a sour apple in my opinion. Of course, a sour apple with sweet malts and alcohol. For a beer that ranks in at 8.4% ABV, I am somewhat excited about handling this 750 mL bottle by myself after a long morning at work. The aftertaste is actually quite pleasant, as the only flavor that remains in my mouth are the fruity flavors.

Sadly, I will not buy this in the big green bottle again. I will, however, buy this beer if I find it in a brown bottle. I feel a lot of the awesomeness in this beer has been left behind as skunkiness prevailed. Belgium very, very, rarely lets me down and I do not think this is actual flavor of this ale. I will buy a brown bottle and update this whenever it comes to fruition. Until then, I will try to forget this experience with the green bottle. Tripel Karmeliet, I will give you another shot. I promise.

Kern River Brewing Company: Anniversary Ale

Kern River Brewing Co. is a brewery I have not had anything from. They have an IPA and stout that are widely available in the area, yet I have never purchased them or tried them. Tonight, however, I was in the mood for something unfamiliar as I was browsing the shelves of beer and decided to pick this one up. The label says absolutely nothing about the beer, which makes it somewhat more exciting as I have no idea what I'm actually purchasing. I get home, pop it open, and pour it into one of my favorite tulip glasses...

The beer pours fairly golden in color with about a one inch egg-white head that actually remains on top of the beer for quite some time. On the nose, I get malts immediately. As I swirl, I get some citrus scents too. Perhaps some orange peel or even some grapefruit. There is a tad bit of spiciness to the scent as well, but nothing too overpowering to pick out. This seems crazy, but I can even pick out some honey on the nose as well.

As for the taste, I really do not know what went wrong with the beer; however something obviously has gone wrong. Immediately I am presented with a bite that I did not expect. I figured it was due to the hops, but I also know that a bitter hoppiness is usually the last flavor as you taste a beer. I can, on the other hand, tell what this beer is supposed to taste like. A medium-bodied ale with loads of citrus and spice. To be quite honest, it tastes like a spiced session ale. I am almost positive this is what they are going for and quite possibly what the beer tastes like without the immediate bite. Even though mine has the bite at the beginning, it seems to go away as you continue to drink the beer. Perhaps my taste buds were not ready for the spices in the beer, but there is a huge white pepper kick to it. I have no idea what the ABV is on this because I have not looked it up. I like to review my beers without any "outside interference," if you will, in terms of appearance, aromas, flavors, etc. The aftertaste is only slightly bitter and is actually quite delightful now that I think about it. Slightly bitter (as I enjoy my aftertaste being) but I can really pick out the citrus and spice. The aftertaste makes me want to keep drinking.

Fairly easy drinking beer even with the bite that mine has. Do I think this beer is supposed to have that surprise at the beginning? No. Would I buy it again to try another one? Probably not. Is it worth a shot? Absolutely. This is a great beer to open the flood gates of craft beers to someone. It is inexpensive, medium-bodied, and overall decent. I'd say give it a shot folks. After all, I truly believe something happened to mine.

Inland Empire Brewing Company: Black Dahlia

Oh my, the Black Dahlia! Prior to the story that appears below this post, I had the luxury of tasting the IEBC's new (to me) brew. It is described as a Dark Belgian Strong Ale. I found this to be similar to a Belgian Dubbel. I really like this brewery. They are quite new on the Southern California beer scene, and since I got my Bachelor's Degree from University of California, Riverside, I feel I have a close connection to everything in the IE. That's right, I called it that. Anyways, every-so-often when I stroll into Hollingsheads, they have a beer from these guys on tap. I remember I had a porter (right?), which was delicious. I remember I tried the Vanilla Victoria, which since I only had a taste could not effectively evaluate. However, today I was struck by the Black Dahlia.

Photo courtesy of IEBC's Facebook page

It had a dark amber color to it with a thick, khaki colored head that sat on top of my beer for a minute or two. As it diluted down, it had subtle lacing around the top of the glass. Aromas? Lots of toffee and caramel coming off the nose with some candied notes as well. After swirling it in the glass for a while to let it warm up and get all the aromas out of it, it tasted similar to how it smelled. Caramel, toffee, sweet malts, and some alcohol with a slightly bitter/dry finish. As it was cold, I thought it was good but there was nothing too special about it. On the other hand, I am no fool so I wrapped my hands around the goblet and let this guy warm up.

Once it was warmer and closer to room temperature, this guy perked up. While I could taste the alcohol a bit more as it warmed, I was quite content with it because something new appeared. Spice. I started to taste some delicious spices that I quite honestly could not put my finger on. The spices really balanced out the flavors and made this beer extremely enjoyable to drink. For 9.5% ABV, this guy is pretty good. A tad bit on the sweet side, but a little sweet never hurt anybody. I am curious as to whether there was some sort of special barrel involved in this beer.

Overall, a great beer but let him warm up before you finish him. I definitely look forward to trying more brews from the Inland Empire Brewing Company. Well done guys.

Don't Be a Beer Douche

After I got off of work this afternoon, I decided while driving home that I was going to hit up Hollingsheads Delicatessen to have a brew and talk some things over with Kenny. I had some delicious brews, but I need to get this out before I talk about the beers. They will be separate posts.

While I am there, it is the lunch downtime so naturally there is a lot of banter echoing through the almost empty deli. Of course, all representatives of the three generations were present so it was quite the experience. However, this experience was somewhat tainted by a certain gentleman. He, my good friends, was a beer douche. I feel as if I should explain. A beer douche is someone who knows quite a bit, possibly more than you may, about beer and everything related to it. On the other hand, they are not welcoming in their knowledge. Instead, they talk down to you when you try to make simple conversation or they feel the need to explain how much better at life/drinking beer than you are. Here are the Ten Commandments of Beer as provided by the Beer and Whiskey Brothers:

Look at number ten. It says: "X. Don't Be a Douche! The biggie--do not lord your knowledge over others--always be positive, welcoming, and friendly when discussing beer."

Needless to say, this guy broke this commandment. I believe he did this because he felt threatened by something I decided to chime in on when he first arrived. He apparently was deciding whether to order Russian River's Pliny the Elder or Ballast Points' Sculpin. He asked what the ABV was on the Sculpin and I chimed in with a simple, "Seven percent." He looked at me kind of strange and then back at Mike (the kind young man tending bar) and said he'd have a Pliny since it was eight percent. That was that and I did not really speak to him for a good 30 minutes or so after this. Then the big one came...

I was talking with another man about beers and mentioned how I was feeling like having a Barley Wine that evening, and the douche guy said I should get a Bigfoot (Sierra Nevada). Of course, I know that Sierra Nevada's XXX Anniversary Black Barley Wine is currently out so I asked him if he had tried it. He said he didn't, so I went and got a bottle off of the shelf and told him to look at it if he wanted. I then proceeded to browse the well-stocked shelves of Hollingsheads and didn't find anything at that point that had caught my eye. As I turned a corner to browse the Belgian section, I passed him and he gave the beer back to me and said, "It doesn't have very impressive numbers. I think 10% for a Barley Wine is a little low." At that point I realized how this conversation was going to go, so I just let it go but simply replied back, "Yeah but you cannot make judgments about beers if you have never tried them." I do not think that sat well with him; honestly what I replied back was said in a kind manner, and quite frankly true.

I went back to browsing beers and picked up an Avery Brewing's Joe's Premium American Pilsner and an Anchor Brewing Humming Ale. Two brews I have never tried and quite low on the ABV scale. I set them on the counter and this is the conversation that took place:

Him: "Wow, you're a light drinker."
Me: "Well, I have to be up at 6 tomorrow so I figure I'll just take it easy."
Him: "Psssh, I get up at 5:30 and I drink the equivalent of (he scrambles to grab beer off of the counter and grabs two six packs of stuff, big bottles by the way) this every night."

At this point, I realize what type of person this is. He's a young guy too, I just don't understand where he got this false sense of empowerment.

Me: "Good for you man."
Him: "Yeah, I drink about this much every night."
Me: "Cool man. Hey Mike, can I get a taste of the Little Sumthin' Wild? I want to see if I want to get a 22 of it or not."

Mike pours the little taster and as I go to smell it, the guy once again chimes in:

"That doesn't have a very impressive color."
Me: (totally ignoring this guy at this point) Mmmm, smells and tastes green and grassy but still has a Belgian kick to it. Let me go grab a bottle Mike."

I go and grab a bottle, bring it back, pay, and leave. There really is no climax to this tale. It is simply an experience that I hope nobody else ever has to share. If someone decides to be a beer douche to you, you have two options: get mad and verbally battle them (not worth it) or just simply give them the cold shoulder. This guy was not convincing me in any way, shape, or form that he knew more than me or anything of the sort. Instead, he came off as someone I would have no desire to sit next to at a bar, ever. Don't be this guy. Don't be a beer douche.